LIMA, OH (WLIO) - The holiday season is a time of giving, but for some, it can also be a time for taking what isn't theirs.
As residents begin to order and receive their holiday gifts and presents, some people wait for those packages to be delivered just to steal them and take them as their own or sell them for their own profit. These "Porch pirates" get very busy during this time of the year when Christmas gifts and mail deliveries are ramping up. Local law enforcement has a few suggestions to help make sure your gifts make it home for the holidays.
"You can try to change the delivery date to a date that best suits you when you might be home. And if that's not an option, you can always have it sent to a friend's house or a family member or even your place of employment if they're okay with that. Somewhere that has some way for it to be brought indoors and secured. Get to know your neighbors. Do the neighborly thing, keep an eye out. If you see something strange, something odd, someone going up on a porch looking around like they don't belong, say something and give us a call and we'll do what we can with that. If you happen to have ring doorbell footage or anything like that try to get that all lined up for us that's great that helps a lot. A little can go a long way." advised Sgt. Bryce Garman of the Lima Police Department.
Stealing U.S. Postal Service mail is a federal crime. 94% of Americans plan to have packages delivered to their homes this holiday season. Ohio is one of the most targeted states for porch pirates.
